ABSTRACT
Organisations engaged in activities that require their workers to come in direct contact with human misery, pain and destruction need to recognize their duty to safeguard the health, safety and welfare of their workforce (Tehrani, 2004). Whilst the legal duties that an employer has for employees may differ between nations (Bergman et al., 2007), there are some common principles which apply in most developed countries. These include the need to undertake an assessment of the risks where the work has been shown to involve the possibility of employees developing mental health conditions such as stress, burn-out, anxiety or depression. Employers need to be working with employees and their representatives to provide information, training and support to enable the work to be carried out safely. Individual employees also have a personal responsibility to protect their own health and well-being and to ensure that their actions do not cause harm to others.
